It’s all In the Packaging

If at first you don’t succeed, don’t give up. Use a flashlight…Linda Rondeau

I couldn’t understand it. I had mimicked her stance to perfection. Yet, when I swung at the golf ball, it sailed far to the right or far to the left, never the fairway where her drives landed nearly every time.

I contemplated quitting golf until I realized I’d been standing wrong. Kathryn stood 5’2. I was 5’8. Her swing worked best for her short stature but was wrong for a taller person like me. With the help of golf pro, I adjusted by stance and began to see more successful drives. What was golden for one became lead for another.

Paul had a message to give the world. “Jesus saves.” Yet, he changed his stance depending on where he was and to whom he delivered the message. For the jailer, he’d forego the opportunity of escape. For the tempest tossed seaman, he endured shipwreck. For the Greeks, he appealed to their belief in an unknown God. For the Hebrews, he reminded them of their heritage. He truly was all things to all men that he might win some.

As writers, we have a message to drive home. Some of us write romance. Some of us write humor. And still others use imagination as a platform to dispel myths and bring home truth. Whatever genre we choose, the next step to sending our message is in the marketing. As in all other areas of our lives, the technique we use is dependent upon the person we want to reach. Some are speakers, some send out postcards, some advertise on-line, and some spread the word through the voice of others. In most cases, the writer will choose a variety of marketing avenues to get the message of his/her product to as many people as possible.

As I thought about these techniques, I am reminded that God treats us the same way. He will use whatever method he can to reach us with his Truth. Sometimes he whispers gently in our ear. Sometimes he takes the hard-line approach, slapping our rigid behinds with a proverbial two by four. He will be all things to us.

To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel that I may share in its blessings (1 Corinthians 9:21-23 NIV).

Linda Rondeau is the author of more than one hundred poems, articles and stories. Her works have appeared in anthologies, magazines, and on-line. For writing samples and critique services visit http://www.lindarondeau.com

5 Comments until now.

I’ve noticed the same thing, that God works through us so differently, depending on how He wired us in the first place. I love how He uses different languages to speak to people. To me it is often through nature, or the emotional arc of a story. For my son, it’s through music, and for my daughter it’s through her friends. But you’re right, it is all in the packaging. Excellent article.